Leukemia Symptoms and Leukemia Treatments

What is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream. Leukemia is not one disease, but four main types with many subtypes.

Symptoms of leukemia vary for each type, but there are some symptoms that are common to all types of leukemia.

Symptoms of Leukemia

- Persistent fatigue and weakness

- Fever or chills

- Frequent infections

- Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged spleen or liver

- Shortness of breath when you are physically active

- Loss of weight or appetite

- Easily bleed or bruise

- Tiny red spots in your skin called petechiae

- Bone tenderness or pain

- Excessive sweating, especially night sweats

The symptoms and severity of signs depends on the number of abnormal blood cells in your system and where they collect. Early symptoms of leukemia are often missed because they resemble the symptoms of the flu.

Classification of Leukemia

Leukemia is classified in two different ways. The first is by how fast the leukemia progresses and the second is by the type of white blood cell that is affected.

Speed of progression is the first type of leukemia classification:

- Acute leukemia involves abnormal blood cells that are immature blood cells (blasts). They can't carry out their normal function, they multiply quickly, so the cancer worsens quickly. Acute leukemia requires aggressive treatment.

- Chronic leukemia involves mature blood cells. These blood cells replicate more slowly and can function normally for some time. Forms of chronic leukemia may not produce symptoms and can go undiagnosed for a long period of time.

Types of white blood cell affected is the type of classification:

- Lymphocytic leukemia affects the lymphoid cells or lymphocytes which form the lymphatic tissue. The lymphatic tissue is the main part of the immune system and is found in your lymph nodes, tonsils and spleen.

- Myelogenous leukemia affects the myeloid cells. The myeloid cell includes cells that develop into white blood cells, red blood cells and platelet-producing cells.

Major Types Of Leukemia

- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia in young children and it accounts for about 75% of all childhood leukemias.

- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia and it occurs in both adults and children. It is also called acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a common adult leukemia which you may not even know that you have. CLL almost never affects children and it is most common in Jewish people of Russian or Eastern European descent.

- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) affects mainly adults. It is associated with an abnormality of a chromosome called Philadelphia chromosome. This chromosome creates and abnormal gene called BCR-ABL. This gene produces an abnormal protein called tyrosine kinase that researchers believe causes leukemia cells to grow.

- Other rarer types of leukemia include chronic myelononcytic leukemia and hairy cell leukemia.

Causes of Leukemia

Researchers don't know the exact causes of leukemia. The disease seems to develop from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.

Eventually, a shortage of normal blood cells leads to infection, excessive bleeding and anemia. Too many abnormal white blood cells will impair the function of bone marrow and infiltrate other organs. Death usually results from infection or bleeding.

Leukemia Risk Factors

The following factors may place a person at an increased risk of developing some type of leukemia:

- Cancer therapy that involves certain types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for other cancers may raise the risk of developing leukemia in the future.

- Genetic abnormalities may play a role in the development of leukemia.

- Exposure to ceratain chemicals and radiation may result in an increased risk of developing leukemia.

Leukemia Tests and Diagnosis

Leukemia is often found during routine blood tests before symptoms appear. If you have symptoms or signs of leukemia the following tests are often conducted:

- Physical exam to look for signs of leukemia such as swelling of your lymph nodes, liver and spleen, or pale skin from anemia.

- Blood tests are used to determine if you have abnormal levels of white blood cells.

- Immunophenotype determines if an increased number of lymphocytes in your blood is caused by a reaction to an infection or a by a cancerous process. It also helps differentiate chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells from other types of leukemia and lymphoma.

- Cytogenetic analysis detects changes in chromosomes including the prescence of the Philadelphia chromosome.

- Bone marrow sample is obtained using a needle to remove a sample of your bone marrow to look for leukemia cells.

Leukemia Treatments

Unlike other types of cancer, leukemia isn't a solid tumor that can be removed surgically. The treatment of leukemia is complex and depends on your age, health, type of leukemia and whether it has spread to other parts of your body.

- Chemotherapy is the major form of treatment for leukemia. The treatment uses chemicals to kill leukemia cells.

- Biological therapy is known as immunotherapy and uses substances to bolster your immune system's response to cancer.

- Kinase inhibitors are used for most people with CML and the drug imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) is the first line of therapy.

- Radiation therapy uses X-rays or other high-energy rays to damage leukemia cells and stop their growth.

- Bone marrow transplant replaces your leukemic bone marrow with leukemia-free marrow. High doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy are used to destroy your leukemia-producing bone marrow. This bone marrow is then replaced by healthy bone marrow from a compatible donor.

-Stem cell transplant is similar to bone marrow transplant except that cells are collected from stem cells that circulate in the bloodstream. The transplant cells can be your own healthy cells or cells from a compatible donor.

- Other drug therapy involves using anti-cancer drugs that doctors can use alone or in combination with chemotherapy.

- Clinical trials are used by some leukemia patients to try experimental treatments or new combinations of known therapies.

- Supportive care is usually needed for whichever cancer treatment your undergo. You will most likely need medications that help control pain and side effects.